Flickr Photos

Find in this blog

double '0' O

I can be a bit dismissive and snobbish when it comes to chick lit. Like many things when it’s at it’s best it’s engaging and witty. But, when it is bad it’s vapid and trite. I had a good feeling about Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination – spy thriller (good), girl hero (good) and Helen Fielding (v. good). In fact it is an awesome romp and a thoroughly absorbing read.

Olivia Joules is a travel and fluffy lifestyle writer who wants to be taken seriously and move onto hard news items. Through her ‘overactive imagination’ she ends up wound up in a global conspiracy and zooming from one exotic location to another – making even the most jaded Conde Nast writer jealous. It is very well written and jam packed with playful everyday observations. But, my favorite part of the whole book was not Olivia’s spot on description of the benefits of hotel living or her rules for everyday life, but an amusing incident involving a carpet.